Projecting UCF football depth chart heading into summer workouts

• Tayven Jackson is the projected starting quarterback, while Myles Montgomery and Jaden Nixon are expected to lead the running back group.
• The offensive line is in flux due to injuries and transfers, but Paul Rubelt and Carter Miller are likely starters.
• The defense boasts experience on the line and at linebacker, with Nyajlik Kelly and John Walker anchoring the line and Keli Lawson and Lewis Carter leading the linebacker corps.

The countdown to UCF football season officially ticked under 100 days this week.

The Knights are set to host reigning Conference USA champion Jacksonville State on Aug. 28, marking Scott Frost‘s return to the Bounce House for the first time in eight years. Summer workouts loom on the horizon, followed by fall practices that will integrate incoming portal additions and a handful of true freshmen to the fold.

Frost kept coy throughout the spring on where things stood, but he and his assistants will sort out the depth chart well before the Knights take the field ahead of Labor Day Weekend. For now, let’s take an educated guess.

Based on observations through the 15 practices and press conferences with each member of the staff, here is The News-Journal’s projected two-deep UCF offensive and defensive roster, plus the group of specialists.

Quarterback

• Tayven Jackson (6-4, 212, RJr., Greenwood, Ind.)
• Jacurri Brown (6-4, 220, RJr., Valdosta, Ga.)

What to know: Jackson looks like the best fit for Frost’s offense, and he was able to keep Indiana’s College Football Playoff momentum rolling when thrust into action last year. He threw four touchdowns and rushed for three more as a redshirt sophomore for the Hoosiers. Brown broke fall camp as UCF’s QB2 last year, and he turned in a solid spring performance. Cam Fancher and Davi Belfort will round out the group.

Running back

• Myles Montgomery (5-11, 205, RSr., Jacksonville, Fla.)
• Jaden Nixon (5-10, 185, RSr., Las Colinas, Texas)

What to know: Montgomery is eager to get a chance at being the lead dog in a college backfield. He’s logged just 131 career rushing attempts in four seasons but averaged a gaudy 6.4 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. Nixon earned All-MAC first-team honors at Western Michigan last year, totaling 944 rushing yards with 12 TDs, and he brings added value in the return game. Stacy Gage and Taevion Swint are promising youngsters that should factor into the pre-conference equation, though the latter donned a non-contact jersey throughout spring camp due to a shoulder injury from his senior year at Osceola High School.

Wide receiver

• DJ Black (6-3, 195, Sr., Inman, S.C.)
• Waden Charles (6-2, 185, Fr., Boynton Beach, Fla.)

Wide receiver

• Chris Domercant (6-1, 187, Sr., Bellingham, Mass.)
• Marcus Burke (6-3, 197, RSr., Jacksonville, Fla.)

Slot receiver

• Duane Thomas Jr. (5-8, 175, Jr., Miami Gardens, Fla.)
• Bredell Richardson (6-1, 180, RFr., Tampa, Fla.)

What to know: Domercant should compete for a starting job after joining the Knights from Chattanooga at the conclusion of spring ball. He has 2,160 career receiving yards and 18 touchdowns, including a three-year spell at Stonehill. West Virginia transfer DayDay Farmer, expected to be a factor in the slot, will miss the season after undergoing knee surgery. Early enrollees Charles and Carl Jenkins Jr. continually impressed throughout the spring, and both could quickly carve out roles within Frost’s offense.

Tight end

• Kylan Fox (6-4, 229, So., Valdosta, Ga.)
• Dylan Wade (6-2, 240, Jr., Orlando, Fla.)

What to know: Fox and Wade could be considered co-starters, especially if UCF plays a heavy dose of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends). Fox, a consensus four-star recruit, is tied for the receptions lead among returning Knights — with three. UCF added Max Drag from Appalachian State earlier this month, and freshman Caden Piening is an exciting, versatile prospect at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds.

Left tackle

• Paul Rubelt (6-10, 330, 5th, Frankfurt-Oder, Germany)
• Owen Spell (6-8, 310, Jr., Jesup, Ga.)

Left guard

• Gaard Memmelaar (6-4, 315, 5th, Middleton, Idaho)
• Keegan Smith (6-3, 314, RSr., Jackson, Mich.)

Center

• Carter Miller (6-2, 300, RJr., Fort Worth, Texas)
• Cam Kinnie (6-3, 315, 5th, Lawrenceville, Ga.)

Right guard

• Jabari Brooks (6-3, 335, 5th, Sandersville, Ga.)
• Shaheem Hill (6-4, 320, RJr., Orlando, Fla.)

Right tackle

• Preston Cushman (6-5, 305, RJr., St. Petersburg, Fla.)
• Connor Meadows (6-4, 300, RJr., Trenton, Tenn.)

What to know: Injuries and the integration of newcomers, both in spring camp and with the subsequent portal fallout, make this unit particularly challenging to predict. Rubelt, whether it’s on the left or right side, and Miller seem the surest bets as starters. Cushman lined up at tackle for most of the spring, but could kick inside and compete for the starting spot at right guard. Memmelaar (Washington) and Meadows (Tennessee State) were every-game starters last year at their previous schools.

Defensive end

• Nyajlik Kelly (6-5, 250, Sr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
• Isaiah Nixon (6-4, 240, RSo., St. Petersburg, Fla.)

Defensive tackle

• John Walker (6-4, 310, RSo., Kissimmee, Fla.)
• RJ Jackson Jr. (6-3, 282, Jr., Choctaw, Okla.)

Nose tackle

• Horace Lockett Jr. (6-6, 315, RJr., Atlanta, Ga.)
• Derrick LeBlanc (6-5, 295, RSo., Opa-Locka, Fla.)

Defensive end

• Sincere Edwards (6-3, 240, So., Apopka, Fla.)
• Malachi Lawrence (6-4, 250, RSr., Louisville, Ky.)

What to know: On paper, this is UCF’s most experienced and accomplished pair of position groups (edge rushers and defensive tackles). Kelly produced a strong debut season for the Knights with 53 tackles, 5½ sacks and three forced fumbles, and will pair with either Edwards or Lawrence (or both). Walker missed all of 2024 with a torn meniscus, so he will be motivated to fill the interior void left by Ricky Barber, Lee Hunter and Matthew Alexander. The Knights have been active adding depth in the trenches via the portal, signing Aymeric Koumba (Michigan), Jeffson Lafontant (Bethune-Cookman) and Rodney Lora (North Carolina).

Linebacker

• Keli Lawson (6-4, 223, RSr., Stephens City, Va.)
• Cole Kozlowski (6-2, 230, Sr., Spring Lake, N.J.)

Linebacker

• Lewis Carter (6-0, 224, Jr., Tampa, Fla.)
• Jayden McDonald (6-4, 232, RSr., Salem, Va.)

What to know: The linebacker spot underwent an overhaul during the last year. Ethan Barr and Deshawn Pace are pursuing pro careers, Xe’Ree Alexander transferred to hometown Washington after the coaching change and Andrew Harris left for Arkansas at the conclusion of the spring. Carter, a former top-200 national recruit at Tampa Catholic, recorded 28 tackles in 25 career games for Oklahoma. Kozlowski led the Patriot League with 133 tackles for Colgate last year, and Lawson and McDonald combined for 61 appearances at Virginia Tech between 2021-24.

Cornerback

• Jayden Bellamy (6-1, 180, RJr., North Haledon, N.J.)
• Ja’Cari Henderson (6-0, 175, RJr., Sanford, Fla.)

Free safety

• Phillip Dunnam (6-1, 190, RJr., Miami Beach, Fla.)
• Jaeden Gould (6-2, 205, RSo., Somerset, N.J.)

Strong safety

• Demari Henderson (6-0, 170, RJr., Sanford, Fla.)
• Jayden Williams (5-11, 185, RSr., Tampa, Fla.)

Nickelback

• Braeden Marshall (5-10, 175, Jr., Lake Mary, Fla.)
• Jaylen Heyward (6-0, 185, So., Rockledge, Fla.)

Cornerback

• Isaiah Reed (6-0, 185, RSr., Tampa, Fla.)
• DJ Bell (6-2, 180, RJr., Pensacola, Fla.)

What to know: Chasen Johnson’s end-of-spring decision to depart for USC, reuniting with former UCF cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed, creates the lone true vacancy among the first-team defense. Bellamy posted strong coverage metrics for Syracuse last year, and Reed garnered NFL interest at Brown before injuries limited him to four games. New defensive backs coach Brandon Harris had Dunnam, arguably the Knights’ top defender in the spring, and Williams in his secondary at Florida Atlantic last season. Demari Henderson missed all of 2024 due to injury, and Marshall went through spring camp in a limited capacity.

Specialists

• Noe Ruelas (6-1, 197, RSr., West Hartford, Conn.)
• Anthony Venneri (6-0, 225, Sr., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
• Dalton Riggs (6-3, 230, RJr., Eagle, Idaho)

What to know: Special teams coordinator Pete Alamar made wholesale changes to the kicking game, landing former James Madison kicker Ruelas and former Ohio State punter Venneri, who was a FWAA Freshman All-American for Buffalo in 2022. UCF went through the spring without a long snapper as Riggs finished up his degree at BYU.

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